In the end, Anne Burford was surrounded. White House aides were a solid
Greek chorus subtly pressuring a recalcitrant President Reagan to let go
his besieged Environmental Protection Agency chief. They convinced
him that she was a roadblock to settling the dispute with Congress and
restoring credibility and employee morale at the battered EPA.
Burford's mentor in the Administration, Interior Secretary James Watt,
advised her that her support was eroding and that she should consider
quitting. Finally, shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, she received a
call from Reagan Friend Joseph...